South Africa's top 5 run-scorers in T20Is vs India ft. Quinton de Kock
South Africa’s home series against India will begin with three T20Is. The first match will be played at Kingsmead in Durban on Sunday, December 10, followed by the second game at St George's Park in Gqeberha on Tuesday, December 12. The T20Is will conclude with the third match of the series at New Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg on Thursday, December 14.
The Proteas and the Men in Blue have clashed 24 times in T20Is, with South Africa winning 10 of the matches and Team India 13. One game between the two sides produced no result.
At home, South Africa have a surprisingly poor T20I record against India, winning two and losing five of seven matches. In contrast, South Africa have fared better in away T20Is against India, winning six and losing five games. At neutral venues, the Proteas have won two and lost three.
There have been some impressive performances by South African batters against India in T20Is. Ahead of the series, we look at the Proteas’ top five run-scorers in T20Is versus India.
#5 AB de Villiers
South African batting legend AB de Villiers is fifth on the list of Proteas batters with the most runs against Team India in the T20I format. He played nine T20Is against the Men in Blue, scoring 208 runs at an average of 23.11 and a strike rate of 131.64.
The former South African captain notched up two half-centuries against India in T20Is. He was Player of the Match for his 51-ball 63 in the 2009 T20 World Cup clash in Nottingham. De Villiers struck seven fours in his innings and also chipped in with three catches as South Africa won the match by 12 runs.
De Villiers’ second T20I half-century against India came in Dharamsala in October 2015. He slammed 51 off 32 balls with the aid of seven fours and a six as the Proteas chased down 200 with seven wickets in hand.
#4 Heinrich Klaasen
Big-hitting batter Heinrich Klaasen is fourth on the list, having scored 210 runs against India in six T20Is at an average of 35 and a strike rate of 166.66. Klaasen has two fifties to his name against the Men in Blue in the T20I format.
He smashed a brutal 69 off 30 balls in the second T20I in Centurion during the 2018 series. The right-handed batter slammed three fours and seven sixes as South Africa chased down 189 in 18.4 overs with six wickets in hand.
Klaasen’s second T20I half-century against India came in the second game in Cuttack during South Africa’s tour of India in 2022. He clobbered 81 off 46 balls, a knock studded with seven fours and five sixes as the visitors eased past a target of 149 after the early loss of wickets.
#3 Jean-Paul Duminy
Jean-Paul Duminy features in the third position among South African batters with the most runs against India in T20Is. In 10 T20I versus India, he scored 295 runs at an average of 59 (boosted by five not-outs) and a strike rate of 121.90. The former left-handed batter struck three fifties against India.
Duminy scored an unbeaten 68 off 34 balls in the first T20I in Dharamsala during the 2015 series in India. The left-hander clubbed one four and seven sixes as the Proteas chased a target of 200. Duminy also slammed 64 off 40 balls in Centurion in February 2018. Leading the team, he struck four fours and three sixes as the Proteas chased a target of 189.
In the same series, the southpaw also scored 55 off 41 in Cape Town. The effort went in vain, though, as South Africa went down by seven runs while chasing 173.
#2 Quinton de Kock
Prolific wicketkeeper-batter Quinton de Kock is second among South African batters with the most runs against India in T20Is. In nine innings, De Kock has scored 312 runs against India at an average of 44.57 and a strike rate of 140.54 with four half-centuries.
The southpaw's first T20I fifty against India came in Mohali in 2019 when he scored 52 off 37 in a losing cause. In the same series in Bengaluru, he slammed 79* off 52, hitting six fours and five sixes, as South African gunned down a target of 135 in 16.5 overs with nine wickets in hand.
De Kock also hit two fifties against India during their tour in October 2022. The left-hander smacked 69* off 48, with the aid of three fours and four sixes, but South Africa fell short in a chase of 238 in Guwahati.
He then scored 68 off 43 in Indore, hitting six fours and four sixes, as the Proteas registered a 49-run win.
#1 David Miller
David Miller tops the list of South African batters with the most T20I runs against India. In 15 innings against the Men in Blue, he has notched up 379 runs at an average of 47.37 (seven not outs) and a strike rate of 161.96 with one hundred and two fifties.
Miller’s century came during South Africa’s 2022 tour to India. He clobbered 106* off 47 balls, whacking eight fours and seven sixes. Despite his brilliance, though, the Proteas lost the contest by 16 runs after being set to chase 238.
The left-handed batter was Player of the Match for his 64* off 31 balls in Delhi in June 2022. He hit four fours and five sixes as the Proteas chased 212 with seven wickets in hand.
Miller also contributed 59* off 46 in Perth during the 2022 T20 World Cup as South Africa registered an impressive five-wicket win.